---------------------------------------------------------------~

the a' p' 0' l\ielbourne for b·a.nsmission by post as a. newspapel'

We know just how you feel about baby! You wut 1a1m -or her-to be perteot. No half mouure11 for :rou!

Nothing less than the eturd!est yoyngster In tho dlstrlot will eatlet'y you, eh '!'

Right food ls your greatest assistant In brlnl!l'lng full health to the child. Swallow and .Arlell's Milk Arrowroot Biscuits have long been recognised by med!oo11, numoe, and mothers as an !deal baby food. They build up! ThBlr food value is undoubted, for their Ingredients are frMh, creamy milk and purest arrowroot, !111 correct proportlolW!I.

Aak your grocer for

2 The Australian Dried Fruits News.

A.D.F.A. ORGANIZER'S ACTI~ VI TIES

Mr. Eldridge Reports on Visit to W.A.

Mr. Eldridge repot·ts, as follows:-I visited the dried fruit growers in

\Vestern Australia on an orgml'z.ng tour. I had not been in vV.A. for 12 months. I find that the growers on the Swan River, who incidentally produce the largest quantity of the \V.A. pack, are more contented with ordm:ly mark­eting, as represented by the last two years experience of a State Control Board, than they were before the in­troduction of the Board.

Currants are their largest produc­tion, and it is noted that although theY are now exporting on an equality basis with Victoria and South Australia, they are realizing that it is better to market in an .orderly way than in the days when the fruit was marl,eted unorgan­ized.

I find a very large percentage of the growers have other interests, such as a position in the Midland Railways or in Perth. It must be understood that the dried fruit settlement on the Swan Valley is onlY 16 miles feom the Perth G. P. 0. This close proximity to the large city interests provides tempta­tions in the wa.y of offers from city merchants.

This breaking aw<~~, to inclividual selling has left a bitter feeling in its wll.ke, as is inevitable. The grower realizes that this method of selling puts the buyer on the "box seat", and I heard one grower saY thRt he was so disgusted with the p.osition thRt he felt that had individuRl selling gone on the grower would have heen off his holding. The cash buyer was simply not interested in production costs of the growm·, but fixed a price based on the facility with which he could buy from any one of many growers who Wiere c\ffering their CUl'l'J-nts,. f.rhiS grower told me that he felt so small because it was placing him in a de~ graded position to be hawking his cur­rants at the prices which were .offering.

On the selling side, amongst the agents and merchants, I find a better state of affairs than existed last year in currants, sultanas and lexias The only twulJle now being experie~10ecl is from the importation from Eastern States (mostly S.A.) of "outside" f~·uits at less than A.D.F.A. prices. Some of the dealers in dried fruits in Ade­laide offer sultanas, currants and lexias at ridiculous prices, which malw one wonder just how far the "outside" deale!' will go in p1·ice reduction to quit his fruit, and also how they can do this when ,one realizes, that the South Australian Dried Fruits Board has re· gulations which enforce their export­ing out .of Australi>t their correct pro_ 110rtion. '

It is to be noted in the Swan Valley that a lot of Slavs are on the blocks. 'l'hey are a very industrious, hard worldng type of settler a.nd display a

degree of co-operation in the working of their blocks and use of equipn1ent, hOl'SeB, plant &c., that is an object lesson in community working.

I did not have time to 1nake a conl­plete canvass of the trade ill Perth, but after calling on some of the large pastry coolm I felt that we as dried fruit growers are not giving the trade the best ,of service. I saw some fruit in the bake-houses which should not have gone beyond R distillerY.

As the bakery and pastry cook trade are rapidly becoming our best custom­ers, I think that ou1· \Vestralian grow­ers should receive these remarlw in the spirit in which they are offered and

see to it that some greater service is shown in the the pastryco,ok trade re not making out that bad the trade, but the fact that this fruit on my short visit enough to induce our to look into their distri

I was called back to matter affecting the dl'iecl peach position and missed up on the Nulllwbor Plains cent flood.

I hope to write furthe1· on some activit:es of the connection with the catering· fectionery,

fngland Buys Your Dried frUI So Why not Buy

ll m return.

Are Made (ngland ___ .. ___ _

Australian Agents Wholesale only

L I PTY., LTD.

FRUITS NEWS

THE 20th OF EACH MONTH.

Australian

Renmark,

J;' sement rates apply W. N.

Secretary, A.D.F.A., 450 Melbourne, C.I., Vic-

EDITORIAL QUOTA QUESTION

when the last editorial page were whtten the

conference of the State Boards in Sydney was

though before the Fel•ru­The Dried Fruit News was

it was common lcnowledge conference had failed, and

, in its principal ob-found impossible to in­

South Wales delegates into line with the other spect to the export

ts and sultanas or the . by

rs in office. perpetuated a most unfor­indefensible position, and

coneeivalllY have very The AtJStralian dried

by 1neans ota designed to pre-

of the Australian main purpose of le­luts been to preserve

t and ma.ke it effec-

and commonsense way a national industry

would l!e for such legis­originate in the National hut the limitations of

constitution prevent any t of the matte1·, and the

meet the position is for States to pass and enfol'Ce similar, legislation. ibeen done; the machinerY

of uniform regula-provided, but the posi­the Board representa­nior State claim a pri-

for their growers, in h larger share of the

than. is allowe,cl to

Dri~d Fruiu Nem.

gTowe1·s in the other States. '.rhey have not only declared a smaller ex­pm·t quota for cunants and sultanas fot· their own State than is operative in the other States-55 per cent. on e:tch class of ft•ult as agah1st 7 4 and 87 pet' cent., on last year's figures for Victoria and South Australia (and the 74 per cent. for currants was found inadequate-but they are seeking power to sell on this quota in Australia generally, It was not anticipated when control le_

gislation was introduced that its pro­visions would be used by any State to perpetuate, even though in modified fot~n, the unfair practices of the ''out­siders" which, hefol'e control, by avoid­ing export and underselling the A. D, F.A. within the Commonwealth, threatened the complete dislocation of the Australian market, the Joss of the "home market" premium, and the col­lapse of the indu'stry generallY.

'l'he best that can be said for the New South vVales gi·owers ·is that, as regm·ds their chief centre, the Mur­rumbidgee Irrigation Area, they had not l•een habituated by long usage to the export provisions of the A.D.F.A., as the great majority of the Victorian and South Australian growers had been; that they had <been accustomed before control to sell all their pack (not then very large) on the Austra­lian market, and that they had no di­rect opportunity of realizing by experL ence the chaos that woulcl have in­evitably resulted in the absence of the control (incomplete• as it was) maintained by the A.D.F.A.

A serious view of the position is naturally taken by the Victorian and South Australian authorities. Speak­ing· at Renmark, in the course of his election campaign, the Minister fot' Agl'iculture and Irrigation (Mr. ,Cow­an) stated that, the refusal of New South \VaJes and \Vestern Australia to adopt unifol'm quotas for Common­wealth sales and expot•ts threatened the stability ol' the dried fruits indus­tl·y and would lead to chaos compar­able to the Californian debacle,

'!'here is a possibility that it might do this; the onus of seeing that it does not would appear to be thrown on the A.D.F.A. Suggestions have been made in various quarters that in view of the New South vVales attitude the pmctice of maintaining an Australian price shoulcl l•e abandoned, or that al­ternatively special prices should be fixed for sales in New South Wales. 'l'hough he is now out of hospital and bacl~ to work, the editor has not yet had time j)l'Oper]y "to establish COn­tact'', and he is not in a position to indicate what actions, if anY, the A.D. F. A. Bm~rd of 1\'Ianagement pro­pose to tal{e. '.rhe Board has, been meeting in l\1el1)ourne during the cur­rent week, and no doubt the result of its deliberations will he made available in due course.

PUBLICATION DELAYED

At the request of head office pub­licfltion of .The Dl'\c.d Fruit Ne\~S this

monlh haR been dela,yed jn order to al­low of the inclu'sion in its pages of the new season's dried grape JH'ices. On the 21st, in reply to a wire of enquiry, it was Jearnell, however, that the priceR would not be available for this issue of The News.

THE JAMES CASE

As we go to pres's a wire has been re­ceived from the responsil1le Minister in South Australia, saying that the appeRI by James against the High , Court judgment of Mr. Justice Starke, dimdlowing his claim for heavy da.m­ages again'st the members of the S.A. Dried Fruits Board, the Minister, and others, has been dismissed with costs. The case has now been cleftnitely settled against James.

COST OF DRIED GRAPE PRODUCTION

In the Febt•uary number of the Dried Fruit News was printed the text of the scheme for the proposed stabilization of the dried vine and fruits industry, as submitted to Mr, Scullin bY the A.D.F.A. Boa.rcl of Management. In­cluded in it was a table showing the mini.mum cost of production on crops ranging ft•om 20 cwts. to 40 cwts. per acre. By a printer's ert·or a line show­ing the cost .of production per acre t~ppeared twice and the cost of pro­duction per ton was omitted.

The missing line should have read as follows. on a crop of 20 cwts, per acre, £32/2/ per ton; on 25 cwts, £30 per ton; on 30 cwt. £28/5/G; on 35 cwts., £27/18/; and on 40 cwts,, £26/6/6 per ton

SHIRE COUNCIL AND A.D.F.A.

Following a resolution by Cr. March­ban]{, "That the council support the A.D. F. A. in its efforts to secure a subsidy for the dried fruits industry, and that two representatives be ap­pointed from the council to join the deputation to the Prime Minister," the Mildura Shire Council resolved at its last monthly meeting, that the Council offer to co-operate with the A.D.F.A. in any effort to improve the position of the fruit grower in thla area, with reference to a:;)proaching the Government.

NEW AGENTS AND PACKERS At the January meeting of the A.D.

F.A. Board of Management, the fol­lowing new agents and packers were admitted:-

Agents-Nyah, Fruitgr.owers' Co-op, Co. J_,d,, Nyah West, P. 0, Long and Co., Melbourne,

Packe1·s-Aden Packing Co., Irymple. '.rhe admission of Messrs. p, 0. Long

& Co. and the Aden Pacldng Company as agents and packers respectively will considerably strengthen the ranlw of thP ARRsoria tion.

The Australian Dried Fruits News.

FRUIT PIES TO INCREASE DRIED FRUIT CONSUMPTION By the courtesY of the eclitot•, Mt•. R. E. Boat•clman, the following is t•eprintecl' ft•om an adiclc in

Wrwlcl of Austt·alasia entitled "Ft•uit P:es W.ill Solve Austt•allia's Distribution Problem."

Mr. Boat•clman was impressed, during his v:sit to Califomia, with the supefliOP qualities of the ft·uit pie. and in this article he presents a numlbet• of t•ec.ipes kindly Sllppliecl him in response to a letter to Pac'fic Rural Press. Gt•owet•s wil!l ap?reciate his effot·ts on theit• behalf, and it is to be hoped that they will fit matet·ially ft·om his entet•prise by themselves becoming ardent advocates of fl'llit p1ie among their ft•iencls all with whom they come in contact.

FoP a consiclet·able period the A.D.F.A. has bec·n seeking tht•ough its Ot'g<lnizet· and its travelling cl vans tc popularize the Raisin Pie in Australia, but thet•e is always t•oom fot· more to be clone, and whil taking altogethet• too optimistic a view of the possibilitie·s cf the Austt·alian f.tomach to assert, as Mt•, does, that the resltlt of a spit•ited fru't pie campaign WC)uld be that "the whole of our so-calllecl nver-p problem would vanish into thin air" the·re is no doubt that the consumptic\11 of d!'ied fruits might be i by this means. The educational wo k being clcre by the Victot•ian asd South Australian State Boards help matel'ially in this direction.

ManY methods are under cons!dera­tion to assist in the campaign to secure an increased consumption of fruit.

One very important method is as yet untried in Australia. \Ve should take a leaf f1·om our Amel'ican cousin's book, and TEACH THE PEOPI.LE TO GET THE FRUIT PIE HABI'.r.

"Then you ask for pie at the average . Australian 1·estaurant, you get 1neat pie. But ask for pie at any American restaurant, and you. get fruit pie.

'.rherein lies the whole dii'ference, If a campaign be launched to have

fruit pies-t•eal ft•lt,i't pie·s-offered at eating-houses, the whole of our so­called .over-production problem would vanish into thin ak

And when you do 'as!~ fat· and receive a "fruit" pie, it is not to be compared to the fruit pies which are obta,inable in anY and every Atnel'ican city and village. ,

It is up to the fruit growers to absorb these facts. For if they will set about the matter ea1·nestly, Australians can be taught the fruit pie habit.

One-third of the population of Aus­tralia is in two cities-Sydney and Mel-bourne, ,

If mily the thousands of people who daily aslt for "pie" could be given fruit fruit pie-wholesome, appetising, de­licious fruit pies-a big problem would be solved.

Think of this, too-the fruit which is bought wholesale for the "pie" trade is not the choice dessert quality, but the smaller and lower. grade fruit, which all too frequently glut the market in competition with the choicer qualitY fruit. '

Here then is a way to clear the markets from being clogged with lower ~Tad/e fruit, leaving the way clear for the g:rower to get better prices for his choicer lines and at the same time the public would be given a wholesome pl'oduct, served in a pleasing· manner The health of the people would be im~ proved and the fruit industry would be uplifted and stabilised, ,

Hundreds of tons of fruit would then be consumed daily.

THE FRUIT PIE IS THE SURE METHOD FOR GROWERS TO WIN PROSPERITY.

llere m·e some of the fruit pies you can get any clay of the Year in any city m· town in U.S.A.:-

Apple pies. Pea~· pies. Peach pies. StraWberry pie:o, Loganberry pies P1·une pies. Raisin pies. Lemon pies. 01·ange pies. Pineapple pies. Apricot pies, Etc., etc. Now there's another thought-The ft·uit pie in U.S.A. is totally clif·

fet'ent from the fruit pie served in Austt•alia.

Om·:o are gene1·ally round with plen­tiful crust top and bottom, about the s:ze of a.n average saucer.

But the American "pie" is served in tr:anguhu· segments. Ap]mrently the pies are 1nade in deep containers of about lOin. diameter, and cut into eight segments. The f1·uit is packed suf­ficiently firm to be eaten with a fork.

It looks good, and it is good, 'L'here would be nothing att1·active

about our J)ruit pies in a shop window. They woulc1, in fact, need to be labelled as to their contents.

But the pies advocated in this article tell their own storY. You can see the rich reel Strawberrie:o .or Loganberries along both faces of the cut, You are attracted by the inviting appearance of the Haisin pie, Apple pie, Pineapple pie, etc.

\Vouldn't it be just fine if our Rail­way Depm·tment would provide pies like these,

J\1r. H, \V. ,Clapp spent years in Amel'ica. He is a good fl'iend to the fruitgrower. He knows what these American pies are like. The other clay the Premier, Sir \Vm. :McPherson, said J\oi1·. Clapp had done more than any single individual to impr.ove the fruit industry.

The fruitgTowe1'S need to stand right lJehind this movement, and to push f1·uit p!es for all they are worth.

\Ve recently wrote to our go.od friends the "Pacific Rural Press", on this sub­ject. They kindlY re-published the

a1·ticle from the "Fruit ou1· neecls in this matter, the: r readers to send us in JH'eptu·:ng the delicious fruit

F1·om the many recipes we would like to thank :;ponded-we are publish which will indicate to our ers, house,vives, caterers a,nt-keepe1·s the lines on ceell .

General Directions for Pie 'L'he following directions fo1·

ing are to hand from the 1:-Iome Demonstration Agent, County, California:-

Goocl pie crust is crisp, and palatable, Pie crust be tough, greasy, crumbly Careful manipulation with a recipe is all that is needed good pie crust,

'.rhe least handling the best c1·ust. Allow a bottom or single upper. crust. Try amount required, as re­the crust tougher,

Sprinkle a little flour on roll the pie crust lightly inch thick. Do not press not roll the edges fiat to the lift the pin from the crust near the edge, Lift the the board to p1.·event its suggesUon is to roll out the waxed pape1·.

Folc1 the pastry ove1· the to lift it from board to the on a tin from the centre crust closely to the tin. air bull'bles out, work from Do not stretch the crust. crust pies without filling, may be baked in the tin, of the tin, o1· between two the last two upside clown. kind of c1·ust to avo:d air one crust pies baked with for two crust pies, do not Cl'ust. Do not grease the less you wish to make the of the crust especially the edge or rim of the lower fore the top crust is added crusts hold together. A Rhould have holes to allow osea,pe,

1 f'l'ick or cut these

them too large. st in a hot oven fo1· first

tes to set the crust, Too eel to the llottom of a

may cause it to rise from deep. narrower pie tins

shallow ones. flour .over the lower crust

the the ingredients before iR acldecl, or sift very fine

s over the bottom crust the top Cl'Ust of a two

over the top with colc1 baldng,

Ct·ust-Pla.in Paste. te.-Standa.rd recipe: (Pro­to 1).

(sifted and then measur­Ia.rcl or substitute, ~ ·

teaspoon baking po>V'r clough, about 3,

.Amounts-1~ cups flour, fat (1/3 cup), ~ teaspoon

to ~ teaspoon baking powder,

Hot Water Pie Crust the standard recipe-decrease

increase water propol'tion_ n is 3 to 1.) ta ble,;poonH larc1, ),

~ teaspoon baki1l.l?· pow: mnl'e dough, a little over

unt.-1~ cup flour, 4~

~ teaspoon sHIt, 1/3 to king powder. used for the crust makes

. shell. Use the larger a Hove fo1· an a vernge sizecl pie.

Watet• Pie Crust, No. 2. flour, ~ teaspoon salt, ~ tea­

powder, 1/3 cup fat, 1/3 water. flour,, baking powder and

· . Cream the fat, adding water gradually a.nd beat

and creamy. Add the dry mixing lightly with a knife.

Pastry cleans sides of bowl a hall, turn out' on lightl:i'

and roll out fm· pies. 'l'his llie crusts or one cloublo

a gTeat favorite. '.rhe is to hand from the

G1·owers' Association. ler (made with puffed type).- 20 Ibs. puf­

Rais'ins, 6 lbs. granulated salt, ~ oz. cinnamon, 4

fine), 12 qua.rts water,

water with salt, cinna­

s. Bring to a 12 ounces of cm·n-

at·t water, add to above minutes, 'l'hen aclrl

can be used l)y anv slight vul'ia tion nee'1•;~1 ·ences in mate·,·: a Is [' 1tcl

Association furtlwr following is one of the

Dried Fruits News.

best Raisin pie recipes they have ever developed, and they recommend that it be tl'ied out:-

Rais.in Pie 2 cups Raisins, 2 cups \Vater, ~ tea­

spoon salt, 1 tablespoon cm·nstarch, 1 teaspoon sugar (may be omitted), 2 tn blespoons Lemon juice,

.\\Tash the Tiaisins, put in saucepan wtth .1 cup cold wate1·, bl'ing slowly to a hml. Acld sugar, salt and corn­starch which has been mixed with the I'emain:ng cup of wn.ter. Boil slowly for three minutes, remove from fire, aclr: Lemon juice and pour in pie tin whwh has been filled. with crust. Brush top c1·ust wiih cold milk and bake in moderate oven until brown.

Pie Crust ~ cup lard (generous), 1~ cups floor,

~ cup boiling water, salt. Pour l.'oiling water over lard, Stir

until all lumps disappear, Add sa.It ana flour. Mix lightly, do not !mead. .· 'L'he•. Californian Fruitgrowers' (sun­

ldst C1trus) Exchange has issued Gome valuable recipe 'books, In one of these the following is. stated:-

Pies (if you leave the mattm· to n vote of men, at least), m·e quite univsr­sally .accepted as the most popu!1w Amer1ean dessert, Both Lemons and Ot·auges are peculia1·ly ap11ro1Yria.te for us~ i.n pie filling because of their nwn clelJcJous flavours and the readiness w.tb which they may be combined with othe1· f1'l1its, custards and creams, Let your men folk taste one of these

G1·ated rind and juice of 2 Le;11ons gTated rind and juice of 1 Orange 1'

] . I ' ' cup . 1g 1t 1J1'own suga1·, 2 cups seeded Ha1sms, L, cups water, 6 tablespoons flour, ~ cup water,

Comb:ne Lemon juice and rind Ot·ange juice a.nd rind, suga:r, Raisin~ an:1 1l cups water and bring to boiling pomt. J\f1x flour with one-half cup

watet· to a smooth paste and acld to mixture gTadually, stirring c.onstan tlY, Cook fi minutes and turn into pie tin lined with crust. F'ut on top ct·ust and bnke in a. moderately hot oven ( 400 de­grees), 40 minutes.

Deep Dish Apricot Pie ~ lb. Ap1·icots, wash Apricots, 1/3

cup sugat·, pastry to cover. individual pies,

"Tash Apricots, cover with Wat'111 water and soak until soft, over night if possible. Drain off liquid, add sugar and s;mmer until a thin sYrup is form­ed. Add the Apricots to the syrup. No further cooking is necessm·y. Fill g·Jass custard cups two-thirds full and cover with pastry. Bake about fifteen minutes in a hot oven, Delicious hot or cold, with o1· without whipped cream \\'ill S\J1'Ve five or six persons. '

Ancl here's a lette1· f.rom .Jas. Heade \Yatson, Ole! .Cabin Home, Guerneville, Calif. Dear J\fr, Boardman

In the Pacific H~ral Press, ,John Picl<E>tt prints yom· JH'a.ise .of the Am­erican fruit pie tha.t you ate while here -J·estaul·ant 11ie. He suggested that ltiH J'eaclers write to you, and hence I ta l<,c thiH liberty.

'L'he pies served in restaurants in this State are generally J'J·om a "pie foun­dl'y)). The fruit filling is ''pie ~ruit", which they buY in gallon cans. It is cull. fruit, or some inferior variety put U]J m a canning factory.

J\fy favm·;te fruit pies are made by neigh,bm·'s wife. 'l'he crust of her pie is thin and fiakey, never tough or leathery. To mix colc1 wate1·, lard and flam· into such a dough as hers seems a God-given gift. \\Then company comes unexpectedly she generally makes a pie. TIThiJ·e' she is preparing

(Continued on Page 7)

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WIRE NETTING, FENCING WIRE,

ZINC OXIDE.

"Australian Made"

BARB WIRE, WIRE NAILS,

THE NAME AND BRAND THAT SIGNIFIES QUALITY MANUFACTURED BY-

LYSAGHT BROS. & CO. LTD., 17 ~ 19 Bridge St., Sydney.

Works.:._ Paramatta River.

Agents for Victoria, Gibbs, 13right & Co .

6 The Australian Dried Fruits News.

niPPING PRACTICES AND PROBLEMS Mr. A. V. Lyon, M.Ag.,S.c., Addresses Renmark Agicultural Bureau

The transition period, during which the methods of clipping sultanas is un­dergoing changes, is now in its sixth year, 'l'he chief difficulty associated with the changed practice has been, and still is, the varied types produced, if we view the production of Austra­lian sultanas as a whole. Though po,·­tlon of this variation may rightly be attributed to the number of dips used, the greatest variation is due to the me­thods of growing the fruit, seasonal variations, and the method of handling, particularly sun e"Xposure.

Two Basic Dips j\fany new chemicals have been tried,

but caustic soda, or ccwst!c potash (tho hot dip) and potassium carbonate with olive oil (the cold dip) st\11 form the bet sis of all dips in common use, The greatest development of the past two years has been the application of the "mixed" dip, essentially a mixture of the hot and cold dips, used at a con­trolled temperature. It is found that the mixed dip may be used effectively at lower temperatures than the modi­fied hot dips. The result is that the browning action of the caustic socla is decreased, and in cases alnwst elilnin­ated, when used at low te1nperatures.

Methods of Colouring the Fl•uit It should be remembered, however,

tbat there are only two main methods by which dried fruit may be coloured­the caustic action, giving brown; and the bleaching action for destruction of the pigments in the grapes.

PossiblY the truest vie,vpoint o! variations in .our dried grapes, is obtain eel in this way, bY considering these two extreme types-

1. 'The brown berry, due to caustic action.

2. The golden berry, due to the sun's action on the oilcoated skin.

Practically all present day variations fall within these margins. vVe are now getting variations in brown, as the strength and temperature of the caus­tic varies, and golden to straw-color­eel, or green, according to the degree of sun-bleaching and oiling of either colcl dip, or a mixed dip in which the caustic action is practically negligible. All reports that sultanas from a mixed dip will turn to the golden or straw color without exp.osure to the sun should be accepted with caution. It Is certain that, excepting berries browned by caustic, the removal of the green tinge and development of the golclen color can be secm·ecl only hY exposure to the sun on hessian; ancl in this connection the value of olive oil must not be overloolred.

Pe1•iod of lmmet•sion The aclvantage, if any, of a mixe<l

dip in comparison with the colcl dip, is first of all a shortening in the period of immersion. This actually means that the waxy bloom is removed more slowlY in the cold dip than in the hot sapor1ifiecl liquid, assisted by the caus­tic action of the miX<'ll dip. Subse­quently the drying ral<' and bleaching or the pigments is the same in both (lips, excepling case~> where the caustic

in the mixed clip is sufficiently hot and strong to quiclren the drying rate. Any caustic action in this direction is ac­compai1iec1 by a browning action, and the resultant products is not compar­able with the cold dip.

Standat•dized Colqur The fm·egoing will illustrate that the

requirement for standarclizecl color is now a decision as to what we seek to ob,tain, ra.the.r· than fmjthel' expe~·i­ments, though the possibility of further improvements, by resem·ch work must not be overlooked. ,

Consicleratiqn of Dipping Problems '.rhe dipping· problems, as I see it, has

now resolved itself into the following considerations:-

1. Comparison of conunercial rc· turns of the golden bleached fruit and the browned fruit, "

2. r.rhe drying rate, in relation to rack space and climatic conditions.

3. '!'he quality of the fresh fruit, as reflected in the proportion of darl< I}E'lTies.

'l'he first of these questions has been aJJswered emphatically each year, 'l'lle golden fruit (not browned by caustic) has consistently given. best returns 'l'he present problem is tr determine to what extent it can be recovered by the majority of growers. The drying rate Is important, as 1nany of our failures in past years must be attributed to too early removal of fruit from the rack.

~t should lJe remembered that all pro­esses which result in a light coloured ruit result also in slow drying. You re all now familiar with the dulling

\ nnd darkening caused when partially dried fruit is disturbed. Again the chances' of running into bad weather are increased by prolonging the drying period. This point should not be over­looked in bad seasons or in late drying, 'l'he quality of the fresh fruit is also imnortant. In cases where a compara­tively large proportion of the grapes have deteriorated, caustic soda, with its equalising effects, usually gives best results. A decision as to the most suitable dip should not be mad<>' with· out keeping this fact in mind, M<1in Factor•s in Getting Best Results -Tbe-i·e are other considerations in dipping which should merit consider-­ation, The effectiveness of any dip is dependent on four main factors:-

1. 'l'he quality .of the fresh fruit. 2, 'I he period of immersion. 3, 'rhe concentration of the dip. 4, The temperature of the dip. The first of these is fixed befor·<• clip­

ping commences. It has been found practicable to dip uniformly. '.rhat leaves concentration and temperature at the will of the operators. · He may vary either or both to meet the inevi­table variation in the fresh fr•uit. Per· sonally, I prefer to keep a constant and fairly high tempel'ature, and to alter the strength of the dip according to its

I effects on the fruit. Past experience \has shown that low temperature dills \are veey dangerous in L1 ad \Veathel', dt·ying being so slow that rot sets in', If con.centralion is fixecl, it is often

found necessary, to a.voicl ing, to lower the temcper·a,tu gel' point. 'l"his \Vas Bannera a. fe\v years concentration of the ed by a burett~ and lowered to avoid over grapes dried so clark berries wer·e fea lar result showed at Reel during a brief spell of Any dip designed for use concentration is liable and with early season easily cracked, gives suits only in a good The alternative. adjustment to suit the fruit, is far the thod, and in addition gives control of the effects

Mixtures and the it· P The actual mixtures

tions of the preparations or use, are all no"' pamphlets circulated and I do not propose clit·ections. Practical are, however, of greater printed instructions, ancl tion of a cUp should be necessity before its

The Mixed In concluding this

like to point out that of mixed dips, many of pared in various \Vays thetnselves, is again varied types. A constant settlement. in pr·"''"''"'"'m the clips, and particularly handling· of the fruit, is neerl at l11'0sent.

By A.

20th, 1930. The Australian Dried Fruits New11. 7 ------------------------

FRUIT PIES

Increase Dried Fruit Con~ sumption

(Cont,inued ft•om Page 5)

and rolling it out and plac­in the pie pan, the small boY the berry patch or to the Peach and gathers the fruit of su­

quality and proper ripeness. This freshly picked, goes into the pie, is put at once into a hot oven. properly baked you have indeed

triumph. a proper amount of sugar

to the fruit before baldng, bramble type of berries, .,iii­

Blackberries, Dewberries J.nd should be handled as ' I

, as well as Peaches, some varieties of Apples­

to cook are Reel Junes, and Newtown Pippins.­

]Jest cooking Apples should quite thin or choppecl in

to ha:;ten their being

an in:;ult to honest bake them in rL .pie. It

in the 100 per· cent. Am­Strawberries should

into a genuine.: honest-to-"Hhort cake" .

amount of salt, three table­of lard or lard substitute, a

flour, and two teaspoonsful of powder should be thoroughly

with sweet milk to make a as moist as can be rolled out on floured bread 'board. noll the about one-half an inch in thick_

fast and put into a hot

10weeten to taste in ~L bowl till a smooth mass

pulp. \Vhen the cake is done, 011en while still hot, into two

clividecl parts and buttm· each right generously. Place

platter and pam· the mashed the "cake" as a

Is the orthodox short-cake .of tho and ·\Vest. To serve the dried­

cake'' \Yith a sauce of erries, as they do in

nts run by off-color call that "short-cake",

ous libel to one of Ameri­cherised institutions.

you will be flooded with reply to your inquiry, but

not r·esist the temptation to the roll of schoolmaRter, too, Illy hit.

a mere man, how clo I to know of these things? One I want to know of people and

I lil<e best! and besides, dur­te unpleasantness'' I was

for the training of mess se1·geants, and cooks and

the 39th Division of the U.S.

Very truly Yours, JA('l, RIDADE W A.'l'SON.

RAISIN PIES

A South Australian Recipe vVhat are regarded by many who

have tasted them as the ne plus ultr·a oJ' raisin pie. production are made ac_ cording to a recipe evolved, after many exhaus.tive tests and experiments, by lVIr. E1tzen, a pastry cook at Berri. . vVith the laudable object of help­mg the dl':ed fruits industry l\Ir. Ettzen has made his rec:pe available to the public. It is as follows:-

2 lbs. Raisins 1 lb. Currants 1 lb. Apple pulp· 1 lb. Sugar Pout' over fruit after· placing in

pans, a thin blanc-mange (4 oz. corn­flour to 2 pints boiling water1) ,

Raisin Pies are best served hot.

RATES OF EXCHANGE

GRO\VERS MUS'.r BENEFI'l' BY

SITUATION

The influence of rutes of exchange be. tween England and Australia was the subject of an interesting discussion at t.he annual meeting of the Mlldura Dried Fruits Association. Mr. Downing In. quired what would be vhe effect on th.e growers on the rates or exchange , Mr .. P .. Malloch said that the 'subject .vas cre.atmg much concern arnong Sou1.h Au.strultan growers and also In some Vic­tmlan districts. It had been brouaht under the notice of ';he Boar.,_ of M~n, agement that certain agents were paying the growers only the nett sale~ from the fruit sold In England. During the past year the rate of exchange hacl. favoured the. primary producers, and It had been laid down tl;u>.t the growers must receive ~hat benefit.

THE MIXED DIP Contintted from Previot~s Page

of the hot and the cold dips are com· bmed, and the tests for both dips ara necessary--caustic for cracking ancl oil for removal of bloom. This 'gives th" <Jperator complete control or ll!S m•xturE~ ~.!id he can make the alterations neces· ~:tWt. according to the condition of th.-

_The desirecl result is a clPa!l berry, with b1oom thoro~ghly removed, and ,slight cracks to .facilitate drying. In r.-ractice tne correct additions to secure this ro~ suit arA not proving dlftlcult, as both t~e uaustrc and the oil may be added dhect co the dip tank.

L I Q U 0 R S of the , .

HIGHEST GRADE

CRAWFORD'S WHISKY

HENNESSY'S BRANDY

Heidslclt's Dry Monopole CHAMPAGNE

SEAGER'S DRY GIN

BENEDICTINE (Liqueur)

''DRUMMER" GUINNESS' S'l'OUT

Agents :

GOLLIN & co., PTY. LTD.

Renmark Fruitgrowers Co .. operated Ltd. RENMARK

A Compcny Owned and Controlled by the Growers of Renmark

·for the Co-operative Paoking and Prooessing of Dried Fruit.

Paid-up Capital, £28,500 Reserves, £5,000

Packers of the Wei known "ARK" Brand Dried and Fresh Fruit ---

Timber, Hardware, Produce and General Merchants GROWERS friNANCED AGAINST COMING HARVEST

\ ,;

.I I

:1 I I

·\

8 The Australian Dried News.

SONIE ASPECTS OF DRIED FRUITS MARKETING With Special Reference to Increasing Consumption

. m Australia

The following address by Mr. H. D. Howie (chairman of the A.D. F. A. Board of M ment), was originally delivered before the Barmera branch of the A.D.F.A. and then, in a what expanded form, before the Block E Agricultural Bureau of S.A.

~~~~~~~

I have been asked to give an address on ''l\iarketing Dried Fruits" and I an1 £"oing to deal with some of the as­pects of dried fruit marketing in Aus­tralia, with which subject I have had a close connection for some years.

The methods of marketing to best advantage any given pt·ocluct is usual­ly a pro!Jlem distinct to itself. 'l'hat is to say that although broad principles may apply and comntocUties may . )'e grouped, usually there are marketing problems peculia!' to each.

Notwithstanding this, I have found that the severest critics of the pre­sent system of marketing dried fruits, are almost invariably men who have had experience entirely apart from this commodity, possibly in ironmongery, machinery, or wool .

TWO GROUPS 'l'here are really two groups of dried

fruits; first the ratsm family-Sul­tanas Currants, Lexias and 1\'Iuscatels -ancl Hecondly the tree fruits-Apri­cots, Peaches, Nectai·ines, Pears and Prunes.

Now these two groups each present distinct features and in discussing them I will deal with each separately so as to avoid confusion, .. Vine fruits may be further subdi­vided, as the Muscatel trade is dis" tinct from that of the Currants, Sul­tanas, and Lexias. These three fl'uits m·e used for similar purposes and re­act upon each other in various ways.

'l'he principal use of these commocli­ties is in calces and puddings, eithel' in the home or the bakery, and in a less­er degree in the manufacture of his­cui ts and confectionery.

TWO CLASSES OF-BUYERf) Sultanas and .Currants are solcl to

two classes of buyers; firstly to those who use these articles as one of the raw materials for the product that they sell, such as calm manufacturers, bis· cuit manufacturers, bakers, confection· ery malcers, etc.; and secondly to retail grocers who sell the raisins as such over the counter to the housewife, for the home- made cake anc1 pudding.

I have classed the buyers in this or­der with a view to their relative im-' portance.

vVith the great extension of trade that is being clone by the large cake manufacturers apart from the general baker, Class 1. has during the past few years assumed an increasing hnport­ance. This trend appears to be per­manent, as it is not likely that house­wives will largely revet·t back to the practice of home baking whilst the ex-. cellence and cheapness of calce manu­factured in Jculk is maintained. I no­tice even in fruit growing districts such as these, that mant!f'acturecl~ cakes are often brought up from the city,

It is true that this tendency is not so nwJ·ked in the countt·y districts as it is ~n the cities, but it mu;;t be 1'eme111ber-

eel Umt about two-thirds of the p<?ople of Australia live in the cities and lar­gt•r to;,vn~.

1 have on Hevet·al oceasions endea­\'Ulll'l'cl to fm·m an estimate of the re­latiye stt·ength of these two classes of huyel'H, and as near as I could ascer­tai'n Class 1, accounts for a])OUt 60 pet· ~ent o·f the consumption and Clnss ~. 40 per cent,

Just recently I submitted . these fio·ures to a business 1nan \VhO lS 111 .a r:marlmble position to judge :;mel ,lus verdict is that I am underestnnatmg the strength ·of the manufacturer and baker, when I assess it at GO per cent.

PACKAGES 'l'ho requirements of each class of

trade shoulc1 be considered. 'l'he 6 6lb. box has proved to be economi­cal and suitable for a very large proportion of the trade-particularly ekes this apply to Class 1 buyers. However, there is a, certain demand for fruits in smaller packages, and the 1 llc. carton would appear to be a very suitable package for the retail gr.o­cet·y trade.

Many packers have used 1 lb .. car­tons in the past and been very disap­pointed with the support given tO' th!s form of package, One reason for .thiS is that the fruit does not keep well m a cardboard container, as it is more suJ)­ject to moth infestatim~; and a fm:­Lhei' disadvantage of this package IS that the extra cost has usually been at least Hd per lb. more than the :;tr· ticle in bulk, and grocers are not Wlll· ing to pay the extra cost.

However, I think these two objec­tions are likely to be overcome; in the first case by special treatment .of the fruit against· infestation, and lessened in the second case by the installation of special machinery to· reduce the cost of cartoning. Given a product guaran­teed to the grocer against grubs in a lib, container at a cost of say 1d. per 1 )J. on, I anl sure the cm·ton trade would help the sale of dried fruits to the housewife,

A further improvement in the at­tractiveness of the article to this class of buyer woulcl be if the fruit could l:e delivered absolutely clean and ready for use. To do this it would be neces­sai·y to have the fruit washed in the packing house. Californian packers have adopted the practice .of washing all dried fruits prior to packing, and I think at no distant date we must fol­low suit.

LEX IAS I have separated this fruit from Sul­

tanas and Cul'rants because of one dis­tinction. 'l'his distinction is that the Lexia is .not pacl{ed by the paclcing shed "ready for use".

Although ill the past it was com­mon enough for housewives to buy these raisins and laboriously extract the stones, this 1n·actiee is almost ex­tinct and the wo1·1, iB dune as a se-

condary industry b.V "seeding',. ':rhc fruit bulk packages and chinery and then tons for retail by for use by the

The operation of seeding fruit sticky and inclined rapidly. 'l'he stickiness is co1ne by useeders', c with biscuit dust, and in iF< largel.7 used by bakers operation of seeding js ing the whole 12 months, sil·able to ha·ve supplies as possible,

Under this heading Apricots, Peaches, N and Prunes.

'l'hese fruits are

'l'he point is then establi housewife is the deciding purchase of these fruits,

DISTRIBUTION 'l'o obtain the best results

commodity it is essential to confidence in the trading to the price stab iii ty of Also it is ner,essary to lay form trading conditions to stabllity,

In any market that is this is extremely one in the face of tion figures can contend that ket is not over supplied.

Even in the early days of try when Australia pro its requirements, it :nble to obtain a fair ticle without an

20th, 1930.

who

who packs

step must then be to form g g-round for these interests, and packers, and reconcile

a common policy.

LE TRADING CONDITIONS arrived at this stage, to· o!:­

objective of stable trading s throughout Australia it is

to come to satisfactory those engaged in the busi­l'ibution. 'l'he widest elis­

e must be sought, and the trade to manufacturers,

must be established with the and bakers throughout the

country. do this effectively the services as possilJle of every who'lesaler .~

secured, A definition of a'l ·" n1ight be given as "a is prepared to carry stocl{S

regular travellers to sell trade."

ovet· 90 per cent of the t1·ade in gl'oceries is done of the \Yholesale Grocers' who are linked together bcdy. This body has a

and is prepared to negotiate that are common to its members. distributing power of these mer-is great and the advantages, of

their support are apparent. e to terms relating to· 'price

conditions, the ou tw arcl flow commodity is assured, WHOLESALE DISTRIBU­

TORS g the terms of sale of

ty to wholesale clistribu­must be given to such as-

note that Sun­Association in California has strenuous efforts to jift raisins this class by patenting different

ancl selling the product as a ' under trade names, such

and "Puffed Raisins". are rmsms treated with to give a distinctive flavour,

Raisins" are seeded ll1US-

to a heating process off all stickiness. The first

'1specialities'', ' 1Nectars'',

to havf') l1een a success, I}!J,ve attiJ.in!)q !l-

jul'lt a!J in AufltrqJiq, the s hay!' clPnf'J,

hringing .out the djs­i1 1'!3neCia!ity" fll'tiple

commodity is that this ill i+ very vitai one' 'vhen the the terins of Bale are lceing

it has great significance ftny advertising that is to

As­PweC! uw line~ In~

ve, ancj, the rli13tri)JUtiot1 of is being done tin·ough the

grocer to tho retailer, ;:<t ~tt the capitf),l ojties.

IJ;Js be.en establls!lecl in t)}e though this confic1enae hils

shalcen from time to to the operation of "free

Dried Fruits News. 9, lancers", it is at present a fact that the great bulk of the trncle is being done on regular Jines that at'e conducive to a wide distribution.

The question al'ises from time to time, particularly in bad times, Is this system the best one'? Are all the avenues of distribution being exploit­eel'? and it is well to examine the case.

In the Jtcst place I must correct an ilniH'ession I 1nay have g·iven ea1lior, that dealing in Association dried fruit~ is eonlined to membe1·s of the vVhole · snle Grocer><' Associations. This is not so, as in each State there exist eertain distributors who do not be­long to these associations, and ar­rangeinents have l~een Inade ·when pos­sible to include these firms.

Since my connectim1 ·with the Asso­cialioll I do not remember one season P"ssing· without some additional clis­tl'il>u tm· being added to the whole­salers' Jist. Sometimes there have been defections, but such instances are l'a.re, as the security given to traders outweighs the lure of c;peculative pro­fits.

PRICES AND CONSUMPTION Bound up with distribution is the

all important question of prices, 'l'o obtain the best return possible

from a market is naturally the .objec­tive of the grower. 'l'his can only be done by fixing prices that will be re­munerative but not so high as to stifle consumption.

The Australian market is a protect­ed one, ancl as everything the grower uses in production (including labour) is paid fat· on a "protected" level, then he too is entitled to obtain a value bas­ed on wor\d's parity plus the tfl,riff protection he has been afforded.

It has been the policy of the Asso­ciation to obtain a distinctive Austra­lian price. 'l'his has been done for a great number of years; and how has consumption been affected?

According to figures compiled by the Con1n1oinvealth Statistician, the aver­age per capita consumption in Austra­lia is 4.75 Its., which figure ar1pears second on the list to New Zealand's 5. fiO, and above the figures for the United Kingdom ancl U.S.A., of 4.62 and 3. 30 lbs. respectively,

NO PACKING SHED Is completely

GERRA

\Vith a fm·the1· view to checking up diRtrilmtion, the Association has from time to time sent representatives m·ound the retail trade, and this year it was decided to permanently em­ploy speciality salesmen to systemati­ea11y cDnva;;;.::f:l the country,

'l'he,;e speciality men have display waggons showing all the fruits in their different grades; they solicit orders and at the same time check up the ex: bting Ret·vice that is being given by the wholesale warehouses.

Up-to-elate the reports that have l><'Pn coming in from the States of N. 8. IV. and YictOl'ia show that the rl'tailet·s m·e well canvassed by the wlwlesalet·'s travellers, and it is a very J'm·e case to find an instance where no .stocks al'C' being carried,

. This work has not lceen compt·ehen­Sl ve enotJgh yet to give you figures but ad the data. is being collected to el{able a full survey to be taken of the present sy;;tem uf distribution.

Howevet· one fact l as l:leen brought out very clearly, nnd that is that there is a great deal of educati~e work necess>uy to !:·ring the grower and con­s~~~~ler to a clear unclerstancling of the d1Jterent qualities and grades of fruit and their respectivq price rtelation~ ships. 'l'oo r•ften it has been found that poor fruit is being sold at what shou!d be the vrice of the high grades.

TO INCREASE CONSUMPTION Tho question that is verhaps the

mcst t1elmta!Jle one with the general public and gt·owet·s, is whether or not tlw Austntlian ccnsumption could not l)e largely increased if prices \vere re .. duced. lt is quite common to hear the statement that consumption could be c1onbled if prices were lowered. This stau·ment has so often been made that Jt is well to examine it.

I have en den voured to make clear the di:otinctiun that exists between the two c!asse3 of buyers; firstly, t>wse who use dt'ied fntits as one of the raw matet·ials for the manufactured articles cakes, plum 11Udding", biscuits and eunfectionNy; and secondly the house­\Vife 'vho n1akes he1· O\VI~ cakes and Duel dings. In both cases the raisins are not consumed as such, but form

equipped

Dl )

without WIRE MACHINES AND SERVICE

Whether you pack DPied or• Fr•esh Fr'uit the f"jeed fo!' seou!'i~y remains the same

Maximum Security at Minimum Cost

is only obtainable by the use of GERRARD EQUIPMENT. If you don't know about it we'll be glad to tell you.

GERRARD WIRE TYING MACHINES Co. Pty. Ltd. r

119-125 Hawke St., West Melbourne.

Pir·ie Chamber·s, Pirie St., Adelaid. e. . Rei by Chi!m!lers, Rei by L<!ne, Sycjney.

', j '~

LONDON DRIED FRUIT

LONDON SALES

Control Board Agency's We~kly Advices

WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 13

According to advices received from the .Commonwealth Dried Fruits C~n­li'Ol Board, 301 tons .of Austr:;li~n dried fruits were sold in Great Bntall1 for the week ending February 13, h~v­ing a value of £10,800. The sales in­clude 189 tons sultanas at an average of £35/16/0, and 112 tons currants averao·ino· £3G/1U/8 per ton.

'l'he" q~mntity of Australian dried I fi·uils in Great Britain and afloat not I yet placed amounts to 14,783 tons, in- I ~luding 13,835 tons sultanas, 705 tons cul'l'ants and 243 tons lexias. Sales for the 42 weeks of the season to d.ate to-. tal 35,1fi9 tons out of a qua_ntlty ot 1 1L])J1i'OXimately 50,000 tons shipped to Gt'Pat Britain this season.

Advices from London indicate that the market continues quiet with an absence of demand fOi' a.nything but low priced fruit.

WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 20

A uslt•alia's dried fruits valued at [15,900 was sold in Great BritaiH for Uw week ending February 20. In­elutled in the 447 tonil sold were 141 tons sultanas at an average of £35/9/!1 pel' ton, and 305 tons cm·rants aver­aging t35/1G/5 per ton. Stoclm of currants unsold and alloat are now re­duced to 400 tons. The marltet for sultanas, of which 20,975 tons ,hav<'> been sold to date, continues sluggish,

WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 27

Advices received by the Commo11 .. wealth Dried Fruits- Export Control Board from London report that 401 tons Australian Dried I<'ruit valued at £14 GOO were sold in Great Britain cl.ur­ing'

1

the ·week ending FeVruary 27, U1b

44th weelc of the present season, Tho week'R sales included 288 tons Sul­tanas at an average of £36/1/6 per ton, and 113 tons Currants which made an average of £37/15/ per ton.

Season'~ Sales to Date The following is the statistical

1wecis of the season's operation 10 Gi'eal Bl'itain to date,

Sultana~ Currant's Lexias

Shipped 34,704 12,481

2,904

Sold 21,263 12,08fi

2,659

50,089 36,007

Averac:o per ton

£'<1. 4 3 42 15 9 28 12 8

Tho value of sales for the 44 weeks wrts £1,4!i9,314. As in addition to the au 007 tons of 1929 season thei·e were al~o BDll1 7,219 lmm Sultanas am1 G73 tonH Lexia~ being the carryover ft•otn 1928, the total sales for 44 weel\s were 4:l,X99 tons,

Australian Dried Fruits NeW~.

STOCKS AND SALES

WEEf< ENDING MARCH 6

Rcpm·ts received l>y the Common­wealth Di·ied Fruits Export Control Board ad vise the sales in Great Britain tlul'ing the 45th week of the season and ending March (), of 528 tons of dried fntit:< valued at £18,500, Sales com­]}l'iSe 51 tons currants averaging £35/1/ per ton and 4'77 tons sultanas averaging £35/2/7 per ton,

This Season's Crop

Pi'Ocessing operations on the present :=;eason''s hat·vest are proceeding in a11 areas in four States, and shipments of currants are expected to commence during the next fortnight, As supplie>~ or Australian currants unsold in Great Britain are negligible 't is ",nticipated that nr'"' season'R Austt•alia,n em·rants will command a ready market, The mm·ket fOi' sultanas continues quiet ancl will ]JrobablY be without feature until aftei' the next British Budg·et speech, N nt\\"ithstan<ling this quiet tone, fait· quantities of Austl'aUan sultanas are Inoving into cnnHuJnption and stocks in wholesalet·s' hands cannot be heav.v,

STOCKS IN LONDON

Monthly List Supplied by Messrs. Virgil Boys

'l'he following tabl~ =owing stoclm of dried fruits in the Port of London on January 31, as per •iVUl'ehouse Ie­tui·ns has been forwarded by ]\[essrs, Vil·gil BoYs & Co,, of Eastchea p, 'l'he figures are taken from the Lont1on Dried Fruit Trade Association and axe compared with those of the two pre .. vinus years

CURRANTS Tons Tons Ton~

1930 1n2H 1Q28 Gi'eelc, c>le, 3(157 5291 5442 A usti·alinn 982 35 23

RAISINS Mnscalel 39 40 99 Valencia an<l Denia 124 1(ji) 858 'rurl<ej\ f{ed, Chesn1E\

JDleme, etc, 4 73 62 Australian 134G G87 201 Capu 1 Californian 22G fiGH RGG

SUVl'ANAS Greek 887 GH 221 Sn1yrna. 1411 l!l9!l 2253 Australian l2,G2G 7095 7114 Cape 37 23 13 Californian 1003 17G2 16U Pel'sian, Afghan,

and Indian G 1 47

TREE FRUITS Pkgs, Pkg'R, Pl{gS,

Apricots 2~,1li9 7Gl>G 22,2SG NActarinPs 1219 384 1247 Peal'S 7858 2li,008 n1n Peaches 70R4 6982 G131

THAT GREENISH

Must be Overcome for

One of the the profitable

Market

tanas in Lonclon this las been the greenish tinge characterized so much of our the introduction of the potash eel cli]Js in the effoit to obtain colour desired by Bl'itish is again in evJtlence this uhecl 1nanagers are n1uc::h._ about (says The i\iurrn.y

lt is natural that gr.owers sire to get their sultRnas, off their hands as soon as 'l'here i::: a big cr,ap to handle, son is somewhat late to begin drying has been delayed by ram, Nevertheless they adv:sed to submit their extra treatment required the immature appearance the greenish tinge,

'J~his, \Ve are ac1viHed, is The treatment

1nark Fl'uit Gro,vet·s Co-o give the fntit, which completely clriell, a light ri \Va.te1· and Rl>reacl it ligh phasis on the lightly) in on heBi:)ian fur a, day. This will generally be found Some prefer to add a little the water, but this is not

Inciclentally1 this washing added ad vantage of cleaning of dust that maY be The Californian fruit is all

where the Califo1·nian used exclusively before the trade treaty with Australia, strong demand for washed

Numerous complaints of sultanas have been received don, and l\Ir, Percy Berry, in of what l\lr, Seary describes interesting address, dura last Friday aft packers and others annual fixing of st1·ong e1nphash; on ovei·coming this cll'awbaclc. has recently spent :,;ix mon Bl'itain pushing the sales fruit, and returned well the requil•ements of the ket.

The gTeenish tinge wa·s able in a large quantity of disti·:ct sultanas examin for the. selection of grad was announced that the Markets appealed to sh to combine to overcome fore shipping fntit to the dom, In pursuance of is understood that l\Ir, Dr:ed Fru:t Supervisor for monwealth, has instructed not to accept fi·uit the gl'eeh tinge,

20th, 1930.

Type Fixing at Mildura

uem·•es<entatives of the State Dried Boards, inspectors, and packers

at l\Iildm·a last Friday morning for annual fixing of currant and sui­grades, which took place, as usual,

Mildura shed of the Milclura So­lve Fruit Coy, Currants gener­

though lacking in body, were to be of goocl colour, ancl the s, apart from the too 'prevalent

tinge, were of good genera.! qua-

present were l\Iessrs, E, ~lee­of the Victorian'( Dried

Board; H. A, Baker, secretary .F.B.; IV, N. 'l'wiss (secretary), vY, Nicholas, South Australian

G. A. Try, secretary New vVales Board; R, P, Allen, chief fruits supervisor; I•', .Cole, sen­

sor, S.A,; V. V. Collins, wealth Markets, S.A.; H. E. supervisor, . South Austt·alian

ettlements; E, '1', Henderson, an D.F.B.; IV, G. Cuttle, Ren_ FruHgro,vers' Co-operative Co.;

, Seary, general mahager, Hen-F. C, Co.; D , C, IVinterbottom,

Co-operative Co,; P, Malloch, Pacldng Co.; P. Bet·ry and L.

, Aurora Packing Co, ; H, ld, Sarnia Packing Co.; H. H. Red Cliffs Packing Co, ; C, H,

Chateau Mildura; C, Plum­eel fruits supervisor, :Mildura A. Stevenson, l\lildura Co­

Co. ; R. Freen1an, Pon1ona; Story, Renmark Co-operative

:U', H, Colby,. Merbein; P, Dode_ Red Cliffs; G. H, Brown, IV,

0. E. Vogt,

selected grading- committee were . P, l\ialloch, L, Cleary, A,

of l\iild ura; and E, N, and A, Ingerson, of South Au:;-

AL HEFERRED TO D, AND

l\I, COMMISSION

of the Commonwealth

Stevenson, secretary to n, anived in l\Iildunt on IVed­

laHt week to make pi'elimln­tlga tions,

News.

THE FRUIT WORLD ANNUAL

'!'he Fruil: \\7orlrl Annual for 1930, published J:;y The I•'ntit IVorld Pty.

·Ltd., Melb0urne, at 2/, and appearing as a special issue of 'l'he Fruit World, contains much matter of interest and value to fruitgrowers, 'l'his is espe­cially true of the section dealing- with the contt·ol of insect pests and fung-oid diseases, the letter press of which is Vei Y finely illustrated in colours and occupies ten pages of the book, Other sections deal with manuring and soil f~rtility, the planting- of trees, th•3 citrus and dried fruit industrles, pack­ing fruit (comph:>hensively illustrated), distribution and marketing Pi'oblems, cold stomge, fruit growers' associa­tions, fruit industry statistics and so forth, '

In an introductory article the editor (Ml'. R. E. Boardman, A.F.I.A.) says the Annual is issued "in the hope and all interested in the fruit industry and its allied interests, and that it will help forward the programme for continual improvement," It should certainly help to serve such a purpose. The volume is bound in stout paper and many a grower will doubtless be glad to have it on his shelves as a useful l'C'ference book.

RAISIN CROP ESTIMATE The AustraLan U.S.A. Tra<le Com­

missioner ·E, A. Squire of Sydney, has aclvised the U.S, Department of Com­merce of the following estimates of the 1930 raisin crop in Australia: Sultanas, 43,700 short tons; Lexias, 6,700 short tons, and Currants, 21

1300 short tons,

Export tonnage is forecasted as 36,400 short tons of Sultanas, 3,350 of Lexias, and 161200 of Currants,

"THE ACID

The quickest, surest way to control Codlln in Apples and Pears, other In­sects attacking fruit and vegetables, and to prevent fungous diseases of 'l'rees, Vines and Vegetables, is found In the new

H G. B. " DUSTS. Effective "G. 8." Dusts for cleaner,

more profitable crops, They are best applied with 11.

Niagara hand or power Duster. vVrite us, or see our nearest agent

for details of the right ''G B '' brand Dust for your use. Information sup­plied with pleasure,

GIBBS, BRIGHT & CO . , 2 7, Gnmff.II! St. , Adelaide.

TEST" A Review of Prices realised in Overseas Market for Sultanas-the

result or proceu by-

HARRY JOHNSON (lrymple) D·IP MIXTURE gives conclu11ive evidence that this Dip will eventually be favoured universally thro~lghout the Dried Fruits Districts of Australia.

Our Records indicate that Johnson Dip Sultanas are receiving pre­ference of Buyers at incr.eased Prlees showing that this Temper11.ture Dip has come to stay, '

Figures confirming tho above statement will bo providod on appl!oa­tlon to

AURORA PACKING COMPANY PTY. LTD. IRYMPLE, M!RBEIN, RED CLIFI"I

SOLE DIS'l'RIBUTORS

1.2 The ·• Dried Fruits News. March 20th, 1

MILDURA AND VICTORIAN SECTION UNPRODUCTIVE BLOCKS

Prominent Nyah Grower's Scheme for Elimination

A scheme to improve the dried fruits Industry in this State, and other parts «[ the Commonwealth where sultanas, lexias and currants are being produc­ed, has been formulated by a pt:o­minent grower in the Nyah West dts­trict (1\'Ir. H. G. ·wmis), says "Cul­tus" of The \:Veekly Times. Having had 16 years' experience .of the prac­tical side of the industry, with the ex­ception of the term spent on adive set•vice during the greater part of . tl~e war period, i\Ir. vVillis is in a posi­tion to expt•ess smmtl o11inions. He, unhesitatingly asserts that much or the land which has been planted in the locality where he is working an j rriga ted block of 16 am·es is. not Httitahle fot· vines. A rough es~un~te :;uggests that in the Nyah cllstl'lct, where 2 700 acres have been planted, pl'incipally with sultana vh~es, a fourth of the plantations is unsmtahle, and 11. clelinite hindrance to the prog~·e~s <•f the place. It woulc1, Mt·. \VllllS contends, he to the interests of all concerned if that pm·centoge went out of dried fruit cultivation, and were put to some other use. As o.ne of tl~~ directors of the Nyah I<'nntgTC\\Vel s Co- operative Company Limited, i\Ir. vVillis is aware of the seriousness of the position which has arisen through the enormous excess of the supply over the Australian demand.

In the present circumstances it will not pay tn continue the cultivation of the vineyards, or those portions of the established ones which cannot be re­reliecl on to give an average yield of not Jess than 25 cwt. an acre annual­ly, over a number of years. So far as the Nyah district is concerned, Mr. \Villis, has concluded that only 20 per cent. of the land which has been planted can be regarded as first class. From these places there should be no difficulty in obtaining an annual av­erage of two tons of dried fruit to the acre. On that basis the returns from the sales for the percentage of the . output which can be solcl in Austra­lia at a reasonably high rate, and those from the quantities sent to the Bri­tish and European mar]{ets in compe­tition with the consignments from othet· parts of the world, would leave the growers in this country sufficient to cqver wqt,ldng expenses·, ~ncl pro­vide a fair margin ell' profit. \Vl:jat 1\'It'. \Villis has seen fit to term good land is represented by 30 per cent of the established vineyard in the Nyah district, fifteen per cent. has been designated mode1·ate land for the con­duct of the dried fnlit industn', and 25 per cent. is not prclfitable for grape production.

\Vhile admitting that much depends on the cultural skill of the yignepca1, Mr. \Villis states that it WOtllc1 npt be poRRible to make the worthless land produce profitable crops. It is abso-

lutelv unfit for vines, he says, and should not be persevered with. vVhen sultanas were worth £60 and £70 a ton in the rnm·kets of the wol'lcl, th.e returns from inferior land usually left a profit. There has, however, be81: a p1·onounced change, ah1cl .one. winch appears to have come to stay, that the vineyards which clo not produce an average annual yield ~f between H and 1b tons of dried frults to the acre should be used for some other pur­pose. If that test were applied to the Nyah district, between 500 and GOO act·es would go out oct' vineyard cul­tivation.

so far as Mr. \Villis has been able to estimate the conditions in the other irrigation localities, where the yr<;>­cl uetion of cll'ied fruits is the prmcl­pal induRtt·y, abr'Ut 70 per cent. of the land m the Red Cliffs settlement crt.n be t·egarded as fi1·st-class, or that which has a 2-ton to· the acre capa­city. At \·Voot·inen and Mer])~in the percentage amounts to 60, .and 1t clt·ops pt•obably to 30 in the Mtlclura area

In addition to first-class land at the places mentioned, there also are pro­portions of good and !noderately ~oocl ltmd at the same ratw as that fixed by Mr. \Viii is at Nyah. Eve~·ywhet·e, however it is evident that vmeyards have be'en established in sections whe1·e the soil is not suitable. These are below the limit of safety.

To be effective the transfor­mation must take place in each cd' the states at the same time. Mr. \Villis contends that the mattm· is sufficiently important to engage the attention of the various Gcwernments, so that united action might be taken to stabilise the indus­try by fixing a minimum ,limit of acreage production, 3;nc1 putting ?ut of cultivation the vmeyarcls wh1ch have no chance of reaching and lnain­taining it on account of unsuitable­ness of the soil, situation and other essential factors. There are, he points out, many vineyards . h.1 the Nyah district which are not g1vmg an annual return of mm:e than half a ton of dried fruits to. the acre. .'l'h~y can­not ]Je made to produce any more, and obviously are a burden to t11e inc\';1l3-try. In one instance t11e Pl'O\'!tJCtlQJl is less than a fiftp of a ton to. the apl'\3.

i\Ir vVillis urges that the whole ques­tion should be cons!c1ered by the Fede­ral Council of the Australian Dried Fruits Association. If that body de­cided that there were possibilities in the scheme, on the lines indicated, the irrigation governing bodies should be asked to compile a. survey of the suit­able and unsuitable ar.,as, flO th£~,t a common basis for eliminfl,tion 111ight be fixed. \Vith tl1at infprma;tion i\'!r. vVillis says that the Government should be approached fotr the purpose ot creating a fund to compenfflata

those whose vineyards might be clemnecl. This should consist in ing hloclcs for them in other where they cctulcl engage in the ches of primary production for the land was suitable. 'I' he vineyard blocks should be adjoining grow'"rs to grow fc•dder, and possibly cows. Compensation would clicious transferences rather than considerations.

These, briefly, are the views Mr. vVillis entertains, and consiclerecl to be basically those who have studied them general way. All m·e agreed many of th,e vineyards which being worked should never plan teil. 'l'hey are being at a loRs, ancl the future of hopeless.

VtJCTORIAN SOLDIER How Dried Fruit Crops

Financed Soldiet• settlers may

in the methods adopted hy tol'ian State Rivers and Commission fol' financing the fruit crop at Red Cliffs, as in a letter from the chairman Commission (Mr \Y. Cattanach) the annual meeting of the Reel R.S.A.

'l'he letter stated that it was posed to estimate the value of coming sultana crop on the basis: 4-crown, £30; 3 2-cl'own, £22; 1-crown, £20;

'I'he uncel'tainty of the market nessitatecl• that those figui·es could in any way •he considered final, might be necessary to make a tima.te when a better opinion made of this year's m,al'11-et P ~~rith regard to harvesting, it eel to malce available the sam £7/10/ pet· ton, including the for cal'tage and materials, as was available" last year .

'l'he allocati'on boat•d would sit last yem·, and the system practically the same as then, amounts would be released from mated equities aftel' the end o financial year, pl'oviding· and water chat·ges ha(1 been met.

F'ina.nce was provisional on 'l'reasut·y ma!{jng avail\able the sary fUlldS, but, su]1ject to · va;nces woul(1 be 111a(1e on the lmsis ns last year to those set,t\!WS clicl not show a c1eficiency on the about to .be harveste('\.

In the case of men that had blocks, 'or whose wives .owned the commisson considered that blocks should be financed by the means and consequently would agree to finance one hlool1- only.

'I'he same restrictions as last woulrl apply to settlers who working theil' own blooks, that cept in special circumstances woulrl hG' financed on a contract only,

20th, 1930. The Australian Dried Fruits News. 13

HOW RESEARCH IS HELPING AUSTRALIAN VINE GROWERS

Review of Work of the Commonwealth Research Station, Merbein THE INFLUENCE OF THE STATION ON RURAL PRACTICE

The Commonwealth Resea1•ch Station, Met·bein, inil:iated by the· Mildura Vineya1·ds Protection Boa1·d, and subsequently taken over by the Council fot• Sc·ientific and lndltstt·ial Research, has played a pt·ominent pat·t in the development of the Rive1• M lll'l'ay Areas.

Mt'. James Lochhead, Chairman of the Vineyard Protection Board, fat• some time a membet• of th-;;t:'ocal Advisory Committee, has issued the follqwing statement, in J'espect to the activit'ies of the Static111.

GENERAL 'or activities of the stat.imy ;u·e

the production, pt·ocessing, of dried grapes.

15, the average acreage yield grapes in i\'iurray va.lley set­was approxin1ately 15 cwt. Pl'iot· to the establishment df

in 1919, enquiry into me­uction and processing \Vas

and route viticultural 11rac­critically examined in rela-

tho various factot·s affecting

this pre1in1inary. enqtuiry, ove.l' approximately five

instructional work was uncler­nong growers, in orclm· to bring

into closer conformitY with practical ideals. In acldi­

work to determine \vas unclertaJ\:en.

recommendations coY­operations in the care

of vineyards, and the the fruit, were publish­

No. 28 Com. Insti­Science anc1 Industry, 1924).

work of the station has loeen closely by primary producers,

impeovements have been .of cases, adopted w:th

success. Specific ex-cited het·euncler:-·,

the Milclura

The apex production in 1929, when the average

large settlements (Merbein reached two tons of

per acre. 'l'he improved now extending to other

gh the increased yields comparable to those of

district.

LISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL SETTLEMENTS

in the establishment of settlements of Birclwooc1ton

Cliffs has been rendered, the of the individual properties

laid and horticultural lines evolved at ght before the

lectures, and a result, damage

.on irrigation has , and the vrocluc­

compactness of tj1e

settlements maintained at a. compara­tively high standard.

THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCTS

\Yith the growth of export trade re­sulting from increased settlement, the trade has become dominant. The qua­lity of the exported fruits proved un­suitable to the British mal'l<:ets, and an investigation was underta.ken, at the 1·equest of the industt·y, in reference to the two chief exports; the Zante Cur­rant and the Sultana

a. A preponderance of reel (foxy) berries was a feature of Australian cunants, and adversely affected both the extent of the sales, and the reali­zation over-seas. Experimental worl{ and observation showed that the dif­ficulty could be overcome by alteration of pruning and inigation methods. Uecmnmendations wel'e issued accord­ingly, and ilnprove1nent, \Vhich has since been n1a.intainec1, was secured in the following season.

h. The Sultana .. -A comparativelY dark colour, and exposed ~uga1·, \Vere typical features of Australian sultan­as, and constituted grave objections in respect to expm·ts. Experimental and research work, to evolve a practical method wh:ch would result in a lighter

IRYMPLE PACKING

coloured fruit, was undertaken. It was found necessat·y to alter the

methods of clipping and processing. The transition period occupied ap­proximately three years. The new methods of clipping and processing are tlesct·ibecl in Pamphlet No. 6, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 19 28. 'l'he im]n·oved methods are now in general use, and as a result, the sales value of Australian sultanas in Gt·eat Britain has consistently exceeded that of ,California; and excepting small parcels (ha.ncl pic\{ecl) also exceeds the price realised for Greek and Turkish sultanas .

DRIED FRUIT PESTS 'l'he losses al'ising ft•om infestation

of clt·ied fntit with insect pests were Hllch at:l to cauHe gl'ave disturbance in the ovet·seas market. In 1925 and 192G the problem became so acute that the success of the overseas market was threatened, and it was considered es­sential to secure a better measut·e of control fol' continuation of the export trade. The average realization was decreased, and the total sales material" ly affected, l:·y a disinclination of tracl­et·s to handle a product in which con­siderable loss might be expected.

An investigation was unclertal{en at

PTY. LIMITED, IRYMPLE and MERBEIN

PACKERS OF DRIED AND FRESH FRUITS At Growers' Service in all Branches of Orchard Requirements

Registered Land Agents

Fire, Life and Accident INSURANCE AGENTS

Agents for "Premier" Box Framing and Lidding Machines and Gardner Waern Elevating Trucks. Quotations on Application.

E. J. ROBERTS, Goveming Dlrecwr.

P. MALLOCH, Manag·er and Secretary.

14 The Australian Dried Fruits News. March 20th, 1

HOW RESEARCH WORK IS HELPING VINE GROWERS Continued from Previous Page

dti:-;tt·y on 3G,OOO tmm per £36,000'

Quality of Pr·oduts ':CulTants-Canadiv,n uuyers

admit the quality of Australian rants to be equal to Greek nre1·bein, and the situation examined.

'l'he pests were identified and their life history and occurrence in relation to dried g-l'apes studied. It was consider­<>d that the first essential step was to eliminate sources of infection in pacl<­ing houses by eliminating contact with fruit or fruit debris of ]n·evious years.

Regulations in respect to the hYgiene of packing houses, and growers' pt·e­n1ises and recevtacles are no'\v in fol'ce, adtninisterecl by Depal'tment of l\Iar­lrets, and constitute at pres~nt the cl~ief measure of contJ·ol. Constderallle tm­pt·ovement in the condition of overseas fruit has resulted, and Dr. :Munro, Entomologist for the Empil'e market_ ing Board, has recently reported a ma.t•ked al:sence of the pl'inciprtl pests in the 1929 export pacl<.

Othel' measul'es of contJ·ol, such as ii'Sect-proof packing-, fumigation, and application of deterrents h~ve J)e':n in­vestigated. A small portwn of the pack (fancy goods) is now marlre~ed in sealed cartons, and a small portw,n treated with a deterrent (Showell s Proprieta.ry Specific), the action and efficiency of which was determined a.t the stati.on. Investigations (Journal of G.S.I.R., August, 1929), have shown that an improvement in fumi­gating methods is necessary and pos­sible, and attention of the industry has been directed to recent recommen­dations.

IRRIGATION

It has long been recognised that ex­cessive irdgation in Austl'alia has been responsible for deterioration of the soil, and steady decrease in the capital value of the community settle­lnents. In addition, the cost of pro­duction is enhanced by applying un­necessarily lat·ge qtmntities of water a.t each application, and by applying ,vater more often than is required.

'l'he responsibility of recommending the periods at which water should be applied was undertaken by the stati.on in 192G, at the t'Gtluest of the settlers. The seasonal changes in the growth of the plants, and the development of the fruit have been determined, and work is now extended to soil moisture chang-es.

J\1arked improvements in respect to the frequency and periods for irriga­tion have already resultec1, and the de­teriOJ'ation .of the soil has )Jeen arrest­ed or checked. One very satisfac­tory feature of the work of this na.ture lies in the fact that the major consi­deration, prevention of soil damage, is accon1 paniecl bY a, decreaBe in ,vat~r costs and a general inc1·ease in eft)­eiency and production.

'l'hree years work in the i\iildm·a district has resulted in a 25 per cent. reduction in the period of each irriga.­tion, and ful'ther advancement may be confidently expected.

With extensions .of the improved mothods to other settlements in the

Mul'l'aY Valley, and the further enquir;, into n1ethods of Irrigation, dif­ficulties which have ex1stec1 for many yeal's are being- overcome, a.nd a de­finite policy in respect to the fl'equencY of il'l'igation, based on scientific data, is being instituted .

BENEFITS CALCULATED 1\Ir. Pete1· Malloch,- manager of the

Irvmple Pacl<;ing Coy. Pty. Ltd. a.nd a 'memJJe1· of the Commonwealth Dried Fruits Boal'd, has calcula.ted the annual value of the station to the Dried Frui~s Industry. l\Ir. Malloch's statement IS

appended (as checked by i\'fi'. Malloch, IDd.):-

''An approximate calculation of the financial benefit to the dried fntits in­dustry from w.ork performed a.t the Rese~rch Station may lee set out in re­spect to some of the items in the fore­g·oino· report.

"' Act•eage Yield rrhe averag-e yield in the 1\1ilclura,

:rvrerbein and Red Cliffs districts, may be stated as 36,000 tons,

It maY 'be stated that a.t least 10 per cent of this increase is clue to the re­sem·ch and advisory work of the sta­tion.

' The gain to the country therefore, may be stated as t.600 tons a.nnually at £40 pel' ton, £144,000 (at £30, £108,000)'

"2. 'l'he gain w the cll'ied fruits in­dustry may be calculated in another

\vay. "Ine1·ease of production per acl'e re­

sults in decrease of production costs. Ovet• all the ct•op, the cost is reduced approximately 10/ pel' ewe.

"If we take the ave1·age increase of yielc1 c1ue to the wol'k undertaken at the verY low figure of 2 cwt. to the acre and cost of production, therefore, reduced £1 per ton, the gain to the in-

and the A uo;tralian poli:oes the market in that

"In the United Kingdom rants also are admitted to be if not better than, the cu1->rants.

"As the annual export 1nay he set at a minilnun1 fro;n this district, and the value as a result of mav be set flown £1 ·pe1· ton, the gain, therefore, be stated as £6,lt00 per annum,

"Sultanas. - Improved methods have 1·esulted in a. ored fruit being turned growers in this district. eel value fol' improved quality reasonably be Rtated as £1/10/ ton. 'l'he annual production .of tanas in this district may be set as 27,000 tons a.nd the increased a,; £40,500.

''Grub .-'rhe infonnhtion, eel bv the Research Farm gTub. troubles has been of value to the industry, but this bably offset by the adoption gation on all export con · the United King<lom. The c.ost is probably equal to any gain has been made a.s a result of packing shed methods to deal grub trouble.

"New Settlements .-~ 'l'he 1nent in cultivation and H'll'Jg'atJc thodH throughout the new and to some extent in the ments, has undoubtedly resu reduction of ca.pital costs often incurred through for dra.inage. It would b assess just what may be this work, but there is no it is an a.ppeeciable amount

The MILDURA CO-OPERATIVE FRUIT CO. LTD., Mildura

PACKERS and SELLERS of "PADLOCK BRAND"

7~.--(.'j,!·~~~-

PACKERS of all classes of DRIED FRUITS, al111o -- CITRUS and FRESH FRUIT --

ANNUAL PACK 8,000 to 12,000 TONS

Packing Sheds: MILDURA, IRYMPLE, MERBEIN, BIRDW and CURLWAA.

Sales Offi.ces: MELBOURNE,

The compa.ny has a complete organisation for handling Fruit from the Grower to the Buyer, a.nd being a Company capitalized by g 1<Qwers, its Objects and Interests are entirely 1 the Growers'

20th, 1930.

ASPECTS OF DRIED FRUIT MARKETING

ingredients of the article of

doul.'le tJ:e con,;umption, these artiCles must also In the ordinary way of

manufacturer's obj<ec­increase his turnovel', and 1 is, oan a reduction of e of the raw materials of so affect the retail price as to make it possible to

e 1mblic an article obviously to induce the consumer to

appetite for these cakes and

not appear to bfJ possible sidel'aUon is given to the er factol'3 that go to makii~g Fil'st of all there is butter,

su)lstHute, .sugal', flour, fuel · and labom· for making and

Can ·ar:r;.T of +hP.se he . If not the reduction in the

will not go very far in cost.

INSTANCE

exarnine a concrete instance. are so],] in the Common­

at pr.ices ranging from 7c1 to 9c1 to the public. \Vith a visw to

having to export t]1is fl'uit, ction overtook constimption,

was made (al.'out lDlG) to ccnsumption by low prices. 've wa-s to offet• currants at to the public, and cuts ·were

h in _merclmnts and agents' ns as well as in prices.

Mr. Peter \Vood, who was that the result could

, svonHoreU the idea and all strnlian gro,ver r~presen­l'ted it. The experiment

success, the sales ticket of bring result,;, and n.Ias for t that "pl'ice will sell", the the 12 mnnths showed a

f 200 ton'' in the Common-. mption. ac<'ount for the drop in con­unless it were the fact that

prnfits w·2re cut to the tive to sell was lost,

LOWER PRICES MEAN

net return to growers sold in the Common­

about £40, and on the same returns from overseas have

£20. The average con­of curl'ants in the Common­about 3,500 tons, worth, at £140,000. Reduce the price

marlcet, say £10 a ton objective of selling more and tons extra is sold, which is a

The result would be £30, worth £135,000-a. re­

lesc; from the Commonc plus tlw value of 1,000

l'ice of £20, shows a to gro,vers.

'on iH given in round alues are approximately the past few years. It to fo11ow this argument

find tha~ 'won this htsis essa.ry to ,;ell 7000 to;1s 01~

balaHce the ledg-er, To '"'urr1mH right home, a drop

lh. in prices, even if It consumption, woulcl not

bring a penny piece more into the poc­kets of the grower.

A FAIR PRICE

, Perluqls th~ real question to be asl<ed m deallilg With such a commodity is whetlwy the price asked by the grower iR a. fan· o_ne. Is the £40 a ton '-ln ex­cessl ve pnce? I say it is not.

:rhere is a fatal facility amongst cntics of comparing retail prices in ~ustralia, with growers' net retm·ns trom overseas markets. Such com­parisons m·e ridiculous, and if refer­enc::e is made to the data contained in ":ny l'eport to the Empire l\>J:arketing Board, it will be found that there is not a .greftt dit'fet·ence between the retail Pl'lt'es in Englanc1 and Australia.

SULTANA PRICES Having considered shortly the price

of ()urrants, mention should be made of other fl'uits.

. Sultanas hn Ye always been priced h1gher than Currants 11nd Lexias, the 1·eason bemg that they cost more to produce and bave also been held in higher esteem on most markets. The Pl'esent J'etail price of this fruit in the <capital cities is from lOd to 1/, a.nd more often the latter figure in the country. The 1929 price to the store­keeper waR up Ull July, 9d. for 4-crown, 8'\d 3-m·own, 7!fd 2-crown ancl ~d up sinee that date. ·

There have !Jeen times when prices nave been highel' than these and the 1929 prices do rept·esent what the as­sociation considers only a fail· margin to the grower. The popular grade of sultanas on this market is 2-m·own which at the above prices shows a net return ~-o the g.J'owe1· of £47 per ton. To lower tuese pl'lces by a further 1d pel' lb. woulcl be to sell at what is ()onsi­t1ered co:ot of production (vide D. ancl l\T. Commi,;sion'R report).

fiuitanas are very largely used in cake making, and perhaps the best way to ccn:oJder how the pl'ice factor a.f­fe~t:o consumption is to study the retail pr.cc•:-; of the cake. In the cities par­llcularly, this trade is largely bein~ c1one hy Rpecialists who are maldng every Pffort to cater for a.l! classes, In ;\lelbourne we have keen con1petition m the cake trade and a cheap line of household fruit cftke is being offered at 7d ]lel' lb. retail; very good fruit cake at. lOt] to 1/ per lb., and fancy, contaunng nuts, cherrics

1 etc., at 1/G

11; lb. Tl;ese Jll'ices ot'fer to the pub­lic an aJ'tlcle that from a food point of view i:::l not dear.

Lexias for seeding purposes are solcl

15

o.t G~d 3-cl'own, and 5~ 2-crown a.nd d1e seeded article is cm·toned an'd sold to the tl'ade at fronn 7d to Sd.

TREE FRUITS 'l'ree fruit values are considerably

lower than they have been for some years. The p!'ices for these fruits were on the higll side for some time a.nd consumption wa~ affected, owing to the popular taste gomg over to the canned at·tJcle, which was being solc1 very cheaply,

The 1929 price foe 2-orown a.p!'icots of ~~d, and for 3-crown of lO~d. allow these fruit,; to he t·etai!ed at 1/ to 1/2 per llJ., which is a very cheap price for the article. It will be interesting to ewe if these prices, which represent a very.gl'eat reduction of about 6d per lb., will have the effect .of doubling thn consumption.

In all tree fruits and muscatels the pl'ice facto1· should be a veJ:·y import­ant ope, as it can be dil'ectly reflected to the consumer, since these fruits are used by themselve,; and not as part of a n1n l1llfactul'ec1 al'ticle,

PUBLICITY WORK

I have in n1y argtunent on price factors endeavom·ed to show that in dealing- with the main vine fl'uits price reductions alone are not likely to bene­lit commmption. However there are other means that may be tal<en as well worth while.

In the fil'st place, any means for using fruit in a new article of diet that can be intt·oducecl are all.to the good, as afJ'ording a fresh outlet. It is with this objective that the Publicity Com­mittee has this season initiated a movement to induce the consumption of fruit pies, as this form of food is a gl'ea t user of cul'l'an ts and raisins.

\Vhen mentioning· earlier the speciality salesmen as affording a elwck up of the present services of distribution, I should a.lso have etn­phasise<1 another objective, That is, to interest the l'etailer and the g-ene­ral publie in the article. 'l'his is be­ing done by putting- in window aisplays in slwps in all centres, the distribution of cool<ery books, talks to the public wheJwvet· possible, and a direct effort i:o being made to induce the grocer to :otock high ctuality fruits .

However, it is not possible within the seope of UtiH paper to o·o fully into lhe t[uestion of publicity but I am hoping tlmt l\1r. J. JH. Baifour, the dmirnutn of the interstate committee luwdling this matter, will a.l!le to adure,;s you and give an account of what is being done,

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The Australian Dried Fruits News.

SULPHUR AS FERT:ILIZER

Californian Experiments Give Striking Results

Probably the pioneer county to use \l'lllphm· on alfalfa with profit is Stan­Islaus (says The Pacific Rural Press). :Ba·clc In 1919 Farm Advisor Al Junger­man started tests in a large number all over the county, and kept at it for four years. Since that time other de­monstrations have followed, using various types of commercial material on the market. From the early work done in Stanislaus,. those in charge of the then new Delhi colony in northern Merced county were led to start simi­lar trials on the sandy soil of the Colony in 1921.

The use of 150-200 pounds of sulphur per acre on sandy soils has increased the yielc1s of alfalfa. hay by 1,500 to •!,000 pounds, or easily an average ot ~ ton per acre. \Vhere 500 pounds of hydrated lime were applied along wit!• the sulphur, fi1~st-year results were much more striking than with sulphur alone, but in the second year the sul­phur blocks forged ahead over the first season's record. l\{ost of the agri­cultural sul11hurs now on the market contain some lime and results from iheir application m·e comparable to the early findings when lime and sulphur were combined.

On heavy soils, sulphur gave prac­tically no increase the fi1·st year, but made Its presence felt during the se­cond season. Lands containing black allcali were particularly responsive, because of the liberation of allmli salts by the sulphur and their elimination by leaching. Growth was stimulated and the puddled soil fioeeulated.

Gypsum and superphosphate have also given p1·ollta1Jle results. Gypsum fa particularly valuable when usec1 in conjunction ·with manure. Junger­man's recommendation to Stanislaus farmers now calls for 200 pounds of sulphur per acre, with or without lime at the rate of 400 pounds in the case of the hydrate, and at least· 500 pounds If ground limestone Is applied. Sul· phur or superphosphate is prefel'l'ed, because gypsu1n seems to give no re­sults after a few years of steady use, unless it be eombinec1 with manure.

No hard and fast rules are being fol­lowed with any of the materials, for that matter. After two years of sul­phur, experience indicates the wisdom of changing to superphosphate at the rate of llOO pounds per acre.

CURLWAA IRRIGATION AREA '.rhe Minister for Agl'iculture of New

South Wales, who is also chairman of the Water Conserva\ ton anc1 Irriga­tion Commission, states that all crops showing on the Cul'lwaa Irrigation Area during the quarter ended Decem­ber 31, were satisfactory, particularly the vine fruits which were estimated

to yield fl. lun·veHt equal to that of the During- the quarter fm·thel' previous year. In isola.ted ease's slight cleat·ed, planted and damage was clone by hail on two oe- t·oad has been fm•mec1 casions. ]'urther progress bas been main road tht·ough the made in the seetion set aside for lu- the main \Yentworth-1\Iildura cerne growing. On two of the hold- the close of the ,1uarter the ings selected the holders have erected dwellings auc1 in most ca:oes the main ·' sheds and other buildings plar..tings have been lucerne and Su- ,

1 the Curlwaa b1·anch of the :i\Iildm·n, 00_

dan gra:os. Both have tal,en well and operative Packing Co. wet·e being ex­goud stands lla ve l!een established. , I tended.

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Printed and pu]Jlishec1 for The Austra 1ian Dried Fruits Association by The Murray Pioneer ProprietarY Ltd., Ral Ral Avenue Renmarl,, S.A,